While the heroic figures in The Secret of the Old Clock can be distinguished by their generosity, the villains can be recognized by their greed. From the book’s earliest pages, their greedy behavior is evident. A furniture van is in such a hurry to get away from the Turner home that the driver nearly runs down young Judy as she crosses the road. The book later reveals that the driver and his accomplices have just robbed the Turners of valuable silver heirlooms. These same thieves later try to steal all the furnishings of the Topham cottage at Moon Lake.

To cover up their crimes, they lock Nancy in a closet and the cabin’s caretaker in an outdoor shed. It’s likely that neither victim will ever escape. Much later, when one of the thieves expresses remorse, the leader snaps, “We ain’t got no time for a fight unless we want to land behind bars!” (132). The other retorts, “And if we do, it’ll be your fault, Sid Sax. You left that girl to starve—” (132). The leader interrupts, shouting, “Shut up!” (132). Nancy is resourceful enough to escape, and she leads the State Patrol on a chase after the bandits.